Redemption Flight
by Jedi Metroid
Summary: The five members of Redemption Flight must protect the Redemption Empire from the invading forces of the enemy. Contains elements from other media also.
1. Interdictor Death

Chapter 1: _Interdictor Death_

The visual implant swung out from the skin next to John's right eye with a chime. It didn't hurt, and he was used to it. It had been there for years, anyway. The metal split in half at a pivot, creating a holoscreen which filled half of his vision as it covered his eye. The image was blurred slightly before it came into focus. It was Alex. His voice was heard through a similar implant in his ear.

"John, can you meet me in the Captain's Room? Nothing wrong, just some information you might like."

"Will do" Replied John shortly. The device swung back into its holder, disappearing from view.

John turned in the white corridors of the _Interdictor Death_ and began to head for the turbolifts. The ship had got its name from its first battle, against an _Interdictor_-class starship. It was the very first of the _Angler-_class Corvettes that had been commissioned not long ago.

John's black cape flowed behind him, not quite touching the floor. A no-sleeved black padded shirt covered his torso, crossed by two reinforced leather sashes. These held his Guard Shoto-style lightsabers by his hip; he didn't go anywhere without them. The material on his legs was equally padded.

This was his battle gear. John wore it constantly, as not only was it comfortable but he never knew when he might suddenly need it. It bore no rank or insignia, but it wasn't needed. Everyone knew who he was.

He was one of Redemption Flight.

He stopped at the turbolift doors, and pressed a button at the side. The panel gave a brief chirp, and a moment later the doors slid open sideways. A Kurahk, a bipedal species with a hard white exoskeleton, stepped out of the lift and headed down the corridor John has just come up. The Kurahk made up the majority of the Redemption Army, which was an ever-changing number of beings and craft. John had given up listening to the latest figures long ago.

The doors slid closed. "Bridge" he said simply, and the turbolift whirred as it set off along the route it had been programmed to do. John spent the time with his eyes closed, feeling the familiar sensation of the Force around him.

The doors slid open again without a sound, and John stepped onto the Bridge.

It was a spacious area, with two horseshoes, one inside the other. John stood at the right-hand side of the open edge of the horseshoes, between the two. The larger horseshoe had holoscreens placed around the edges, where more Kurahk worked. The smaller horseshoe consisted of a barrier running most of the way round, with a single console at the centre. This gave a basic overview of the ship's status. In front of it was a high-backed chair.

A pair of blood-red wings signified who sat there.

The doors closed behind John, who was stepping onto the raised area of the inner horseshoe when the chair spun round. The fourth member of Redemption Flight faced him.

"There you are" said Alex, getting up. Alex was a bipedal dragon, with red scales covering his entire body except for his front, which was a pale creamy colour. Alex folded in his wings as he stood, and his tail stretched out behind him. Two sashes, similar to the ones John was wearing, crossed his chest. Two lightsabers were attached to it.

"Well, you wanted me" replied John.

"True." Alex turned, and stared out though the largest of the three windows at the head of the bridge. The darkness of space was littered with pinpricks of the light of distant stars. The port window showed the slight curve of the planet Earth, bathed in the light of the nearby sun.

John waited for him to respond, then realised he would not. "Well...what's the news?" he asked. John wasn't sure, but he was sure he saw a smirk flicker across the edge of Alex's mouth.

"Oh, nothing really. Just some space transmission that was sent to us. Unimportant, really."

John knew that whatever the information was, he would like it. Alex was playing with him.

"Come on, what is it?" John asked again, a hint of exasperation in his voice. Alex turned around and began to saunter casually back to the back of the bridge. At the centre of the back wall was a pair of double doors. Alex pressed a button in the centre, and the doors slid open. Inside was a desk in the centre of the room with three holoscreens on it, displays on either side of the room and a bed at the far end.

Alex went in and sat down behind the desk, and put his muzzle in one taloned hand. He began to scroll through the data on the displays. The doors swung shut as John entered.

"Just tell me"

Alex replied without even looking up from the changing numbers. "As I said, it's nothing important. Just that someone's due to return later this cycle, that's all."

John's eyes widened. Only one person would warrant this game that Alex was so expertly playing. "Dracina...?"

Alex turned to him, wearing a mischievous smile. He winked.

John broke into a full grin. "When did she say she was arriving?" He asked excitedly. John was practically bursting with energy now.

"Oh, sometime in the next..." He glanced at a chronometer on one wall. "...half a standard hour."

John leaned back against one wall, running a hand though his long hair. He closed his eyes. "Half an hour..."

"It's been a while" said Alex. John opened one eye and saw him glance back at the holoscreens. "Two weeks, I make it."

"Fifteen days, seven hours" John said. "On a mission in the Takarni System. Sent there to..."

His voice trailed off. He frowned, and his eyes widened. He looked at Alex.

"What?" Alex enquired with a slight urgency.

John didn't reply. He reached out with the Force, and the doors to the Captain's Room opened at his command. He walked out onto the bridge a few metres, and stopped, staring out of the main window.

Alex jogged slightly to catch him up, his talons making clicking sounds against the floor. "John, what is it?" He repeated. John didn't move.

Alex turned his head towards the main window as a flash lit up the bridge.

An enemy fleet had just exited hyperspace.


	2. The Launch

Chapter 2: The Launch

Alex slammed a hand down on the main console. "All hands to battlestations! Red flight, to your ships!"

The light on the bridge dimmed, and bands of red light began to flash on the walls. On the main console, a hologram of the area blazed into life, showing the enemy ships approaching. "Are there any other friendlies in the area?" He shouted without even looking up. One of the Kurahk to his right responded.

"Yes sir, the _Battle of Avias_ is round the other side of the planet. Apart from that, there are none within main subspace range."

"Send a long range message out to any ships in the area, with a priority one to Base. Tell them we need reinforcements."

"Copy that, sir"

"What is the complement of the enemy fleet?"

Another Kurahk responded this time. "Four _Eagle-_class warships, two _Raven-_class artillery ships and one _Fang_-class capital ship." The console bleeped. "Each one is carrying a full complement of fighters. That's fifty-four fighters, sir."

Alex looked at John. "And we have two _Angler-_class Corvettes, two Jedi and twenty-four fighters."

"It won't be enough" said John. "Can we get the planet-based cannons online?"

"It will take five minutes, and even then the ships may be out of range."

"What about the Atomic Cannon?"

Alex stopped. The Atomic Cannon was hidden underneath the ground down on Earth. It could instantly incinerate any ship within its beam. Unfortunately, it was incredibly dangerous to use, and took a while to charge up. Ten minutes, fastest. And in a situation like this, you could be dead in an instant. Ten minutes was a long time.

"There's too much danger." Alex replied after a moment. "We could hit one of our own."

"True" said John. "We'll have to try and hold off the enemy with what we've got until reinforcements arrive."

"That's our only option" Replied Alex reluctantly. "Commander, take control of the _Interdictor Death_." He turned to John, who nodded.

"Let's go."

***

John walked purposefully into the hangar bay. He took some small cylindrical grenades from a rack in the wall, and fixed them to the leather sashes across his chest. Across the small, one-ship bay was his starfighter.

The _Starstrike_-class starfighter was the latest in single-pilot fighter technology. The cockpit was at the centre of the fighter, with a large nose cone coming straight off it, which housed life support, weapon control and all the other electronic parts. Behind the cockpit was the main engine, with stabilizer engines to the sides. Underneath was a compact missile bay, with six missiles already loaded. Above the cockpit was a high-intensity continuous laser, just in front of a dorsal blade/stabilizer. The wings were thin reinforced blades, used as both stabilizers and close-range weapons, with two chargable lasers near the front. They sloped backwards, currently in their landing position. When he took off, John knew that the wings would come forwards so they sloped only slightly backwards from the cockpit. It was at this time they would be at their most deadly. The Starstrike was one of the fastest starfighters known, but therefore its shields were weak. But when shots wouldn't even touch you, you had little need for shields.

Apart from the wings, the ship was painted in a metallic red. Small grooves that criss-crossed the ship were filled with a golden colour, showing which colour leader he was. John was gold leader, and Alex, in another hangar, was red leader.

John vaulted over the cockpit rim and into the pilot's seat. He flicked a switch, and the energy field that enclosed the cockpit blazed into life.

Energy shields that absorbed any heat were switched on as the Starstrikes engines were activated. In front of him, John saw the middle section of the _Interdictor Death _descend. This was the way the hangars were protected, by building them inside the ship itself. It was like going up an elevator as floors slid past him, descending further into the ship.

Then, there weren't any more floors. The small hangar was now at the bottom of a large rectangular pit. Around the sides were similar hangars, twelve in all. The blast doors on all of them were opening.

_Let's go_, thought John. He eased the engine power to feed energy into the boosters, and the ship began to glide forwards. The rim of the blast doors past to either side of him, he eased his ship up, and then-

And then, nothing. The darkness of space enveloped John's Starstrike, and no other spacecraft of anything apart from distant stars were visible from his cockpit. John allowed himself this brief moment of serenity, before gripping the dual control sticks and turning the starfighter around.

The enemy fleet lay in front of him.

The intercom beeped, and a holoprojector displayed Alex's face. He was in his own starfighter.

"The transmissions have been sent out, and all of the available fighters have been launched. We just have to hold them off before reinforcements get here." He paused. "May the Force be with you".

"And may it be with you also" John replied. "Good hunting". He changed the subspace transmissions to cover the twelve fighters, now launching from the _Interdictor Death_. His sensors registered twelve more, heading from the _Battle of Avias_ that was emerging from behind Earth, but those were for Alex to command.

"This is Gold leader. Form up behind me, let's do as your ships do"

The phrase related to the fighters he was commanding. Though the Starstrike was the best in starfighter technology, they were expensive to produce. That was why the majority of the starfighters used were _Spearhead V2_-class. They were shaped like half-cones, and carried two fast-firing pulse lasers, eight missiles (which could be fired all at once), and a crystal-enforced continuous laser. They could carry two pilots, with the second controlling the weapon systems, increasing efficiency. By saying "Let's do as your ships do", John was telling them to form up behind them in a spearhead manoeuvre.

John barely registered the ships as they carried out his command, nor did he see the _Interdictor Death_ slip under his ship, turning slowly. He focused entirely on the fleet in front of him, now heading straight towards the _Interdictor Death_. Small specks descended from the enemy ships.

The intercom buzzed. "This is the _Interdictor Death_. The enemy is launching fighters"

John tightened his hold on the control sticks, his index fingers poised over the firing buttons.

"Gold Squadron...prepare to engage!"


	3. The Enemy's Skirmish

Chapter 3: The Enemy's Skirmish

Behemoth fighters were not agile in the slightest. They were more like war machines, lumbering their way through space, attacking any ship that happened to get in their range. Their two large boosters made it move, and angling of the ends made it manoeuvre as they ejected ion energy. The size of these boosters would usually mean that the ship was fast, if not agile, yet the Behemoths were not. This was because the ships themselves were packed full of the best defensive and offensive weapons capable of being transported on a fighter. With three top-mounted dual turbolasers, two fast-firing laser weapons on the underbelly, eighteen torpedoes, thick energy and physical shielding as well as a large blade on each side to act as wings, they were the starfighter equivalent of a Capital Ship.

Spearhead V2s were the opposite, however. Like the majority of the ships under the command of Redemption Flight, Spearhead V2s relied on speed and agility rather than power. They could go as fast as Behemoths, and another half as fast, making them much faster altogether. They could also execute tight corners and weaves twice as fast as the Behemoths, if not faster. In a word, they were fast.

This was why the pilots of the Behemoth fighters launching from the enemy ships were slightly nervous. Yes, they could blow up any enemy fighter that came against them, but they had to actually hit the craft first, and that was hard when it was twisting its way around their front cockpit, gradually wearing away their shields.

It didn't make them unhittable though. Many Spearhead V2s had fallen to Behemoths already, maybe more than the number of Behemoths to fall to Spearheads.

This was why when the two sides of starfighters lined themselves up for the conflict, the most likely outcome of the battle was clear. There were twice as many Behemoths than Spearheads, and that did not bode well for the Redemption Army...

***

John pressed a button on the side of the control sticks facing him. A holographic, three-dimensional image of the closest Behemoth materialised between and behind the sticks, and a list of statistics ran down the side. The Behemoth faced him; it was ready to attack.

He flicked another button, and on the energy field of the cockpit around him appeared a large cross, with the intersection of the thin gold lines marking the location of the enemy ship. The electronic message was broadcast to the rest of the squadron; _ignore this target._ John could take it himself.

At the bottom right of the display there was a counter, ticking down the distance between the fighters. It was currently passing 5.00. Five clicks. At 2.50 clicks, he would be in torpedo range. At 1.50 clicks, he would be in laser range. John opened another channel to rest of the squadron.

"All ships, engage when you're in range." The small comm. panel lit up green, showing acknowledgment from the other ships. John glanced at the targeting hologram again. 3.50 clicks. He flicked a button, and the targeting reticule at the centre of the cross changed to display the missile statistics. Six missiles. Another flick changed it to dual-firing.

3.00 clicks. John tensed. He knew that 2.50 clicks was also the range of the enemy fighters. As soon as that distance was reached...

2.50 clicks. A tone sounded, announcing a lock on the enemy fighter. John pulled the triggers, and beneath him he felt the vibration of the bay doors opening, and two torpedoes drop out before their short-range boosters ignited and sent them hurling towards their target.

A moment later, a lower tone sounded, announcing an incoming enemy projectile, or more. John kept his focus, and held the fighter on a straight course, as more and more torpedoes flashed past him as more ships got into range.

The battle had started.

The targeting screen switched to show the incoming projectiles, and the distance counter went into a dive as it quickly past 1.50 clicks, then 1.00 clicks, then 0.50...

John jerked his fighter downwards, and two torpedoes flew just inches away from the cockpit and spiralled off harmlessly behind him. The targeting computer switched again to show John's first target, before the two missiles he launched hit. The first blasted a temporary rift in the shielding. It wasn't much, and it would have sealed a moment later, had the second missile not flown through it and hit the cockpit dead on.

The ship blasted into two large pieces, separated from the middle of the fighter, and the targeting hologram dematerialised as the remains no longer registered as a threat. John had survived the first stage of starfighter combat, but not all had been as lucky.

His comm. system fizzed into life with the dying cries of crewmates as a variety of torpedoes and lasers ripped through the relatively weak shielding of the Spearhead V2 fighters. The lights on the comm. panel doubled up as a roll call for the ships still active, and out of his peripheral vision he saw five of them blink out. Five lives, lost. Just like that. Two more had turned orange, signifying serious damage. That left him with five fully or mostly operational fighters.

John briefly considered opening a short-range channel to Alex to find out how many he'd lost, but not even with the Force could he concentrate on both that, and what lay ahead.

Now only .5 clicks out, the wave of Behemoths were heading straight for him. John twisted the controls to the left and pushed them forwards and down, pushing the ship into a twist beneath the wave of fighters. He could have chosen manoeuvres to better evade the fighters, but John had a trick up his sleeve.

As he passed a second Behemoth, the starboard wing of his fighter easily penetrated the shields of the enemy, and sliced a neat diagonal line through the cuboid-shaped design. It was only shallow, but John knew all about the design of the Behemoth. It would be enough.

As the Starstrike boosted away behind it, the port booster of the Behemoth stuttered and failed. The auto-restart immediately pumped fuel into the igniters, but some escaped through the gash in the underside. As the booster re-engaged, the ion energy hit the stream of fuel that was directly behind the craft.

John's starfighter shook slightly as the explosion ripped through three Behemoths in turn, and a fourth being destroyed by a large piece of debris that used to be its wingmate's port stabilizer. He allowed himself a slight smile, and then sent a brief telepathic message to Alex as he circled round. _Status._

The message came back almost immediately. _Six fighters down. Three damaged. All systems operational._

Alex was in a slightly worse position, squadron-wise. John glanced at his panel, which was unchanged apart from another green light that had turned orange.

John turned his fighter around to face the remaining Behemoths, which were now vastly outnumbering the remaining ships of both his and Alex's squadrons. They needed more time...

At that point there was a slight rumble, and then his fighter shook as two beams of energy leapt from the underside of the _Interdictor Death_. Looking out of the starboard side of his fighter, John saw the energy impact on one of the enemy Eagles. The energy shielding around the ship held up for barely a few seconds before it dissipated into space, and the bridge of the warship took the rest of the energy head on.

It didn't stand a chance. The hull of the ship cracked from internal explosions, blowing debris outwards, and then...

It wasn't there anymore. The beam had blown the remaining husk apart, sending the debris outwards in all directions. All that remained was the harsh vacuum of space.

The laser was shut off, and as John initiated a boost back towards the fighting the _Interdictor Death _ejected the spent energy tubes on the underside. They were powerful, but the length of time they could operate for before they were used up was only fifteen seconds.

John gripped the controls again. Now, it was free-for-all combat. No style, no working in teams. In a general melee like this, you did what you could and shot what you saw.

He shifted power to the primary lasers, and he saw them begin to glow green as they primed. He fingered the control, bringing up a target lock. The large plus appeared, and he moved the fighter so the crosshairs were once again at the intersection.

_Now, _he thought, and pressed the triggers simultaneously. The lasers jumped from the fighter and impacted on the shields of the Behemoth. It tried to pull away, but John sensed it's movements before it made them, and adjusted his aim to compensate.

Soon, the shields were down. He brought up a closer view of the fighter on the targeting hologram, and aimed at the first of the three turbolasers. Jamming his fingers down on the triggers again, the lasers once again sprung into life and the first of the three anti-fighter weapons exploded in a barrage of laser fire.

John moved onto the second one, and noticed the danger too late. As he once again rained fire on the helpless craft, the third and final turbolaser battery swivelled round and fired. The twin burst of energy hit his forward shields, and after another two bursts those shields were down. John pulled his fighter away to avoid the fire, but it was too late; a final burst of turbolasers impacted on his starboard side. Lights flashed, tones sounded, and a technical readout above John's head lit up, showing a three-dimensional schematic of his fighter, centralised on the damaged starboard side.

He tried to boost away, but the starboard booster would not respond. looking to the side, he saw flames spark from the damaged section, before the engine failed completely. John glanced up at the technical readout, but that only confirmed his fears.

He was in the middle of a heated space battle, vastly outnumbered by the enemy, and now one of his boosters was out. It seemed that anything he would do now would be futile. He wrestled with the controls as he tried to regain control of his fighter as he span through space.

Finally, it stopped spinning. John brought up manual controls, and began to re-route the power flows to the repair systems. In a Starstrike, repair systems were rudimentary, but it meant that the pilot could at least get it to an actual repair station without blowing up en route.

As he did this, the intercom buzzed into life, and the holoprojector displayed Alex's face once again.

"John, there's a new signal. Something's coming out of hyperspace."

"What is it?" asked John, still trying to repair the damage. "Is it reinforcements?"

"No," Alex shook his head. "Too small. It's only a single craft, probably a fighter."

John paled. It could only be one person.


	4. Dracina

Chapter 4: Dracina

The computer roused Dracina from her artificially induced sleep. The Takarni system was a few hours away at the fastest her Starstrike could go in hyperspace, so she had decided to get in a few hours of rest en route back to Earth. There was little entertainment in a fighter's cockpit, anyway.

She glanced at the chronometer on a display. Five minutes until she reached her destination. Her muzzle split as she yawned, stretching her blue-scaled arms and legs as she did. She glanced back at her wings, and frowned at the lack of space in the cockpit; they'd have to be exercised later.

The third of Redemption Flight decided to spend the remaining time looking through the data she had collected on her mission. It had been a fact-finding tour, as it was called. In actuality, there was a small conflict and the Redemption Army needed to show its strength in the system. The escort of Spearheads she had taken had gone straight back to base; she had decided to head straight to Earth to meet John.

Suddenly, the fighter shook. Dracina glanced at the readout that had lit up, and showed that she was coming out of hyperspace. No, not just coming out, but _forced _out. The chronometer still showed thirty seconds left...

The purple-black swirls of hyperspace began to fade around her as the time-distortion that happened upon entering and exiting hyperspace took effect. Gripping the controls, Dracina prepared for whatever greeted her...

The final remnants of hyperspace drained away, and as her surroundings coalesced into realspace, Dracina found herself in the middle of an enemy fleet.

"What the..." She muttered, before a line of laser fire grazed her top shields. She grasped the control sticks and dived, avoiding the rest of the fire. The targeting hologram showed a map of the area; three warships, two artillery ships, and one capital ship. And she was right in the middle of all of them.

To her right was the planet Earth, with its single natural satellite orbiting around the other side, just nearing the curved blue arc of the planet's surface. To her left, not a few metres away, was a _Fang_-class Capital ship, dwarfing her Starstrike in size.

And in front of her, she found what she was looking for. The targeting display showed that it was twenty clicks away. The battleground.

The intercom buzzed for a moment. She pressed a button, and on the holoprojector was John's face.

"John!" She cried in relief. "What's happening?"

"These ships came out of hyperspace without warning. We're vastly outnumbered here, what's your situation?"

As if to respond, another line of laser fire came from the capital ship to her left. She increased engine power and shot forwards, leaving the laser behind. She was now out in the open, where any ship could take a shot at her.

"I'm in full view of the enemy! I won't last long like this."

"Just hold on, reinforcements are on their way!"

"They better be" Dracina replied, "Or this'll be the shortest meeting of all time"

John smiled wryly. "I didn't want to meet again like this..." He said sadly.

"Don't worry" said Dracina. She put on a mischievous smile. "I'm sure you'll make it up to me later."

John laughed. "I look forward...to..." The intercom fizzed and cut out. Dracina hit the display.

"John...John! Come in! Anyone, come in!" No-one responded. That meant her signal was being blocked. And that meant...

She rolled her ship left to dodge a round of laser fire. The map on the targeting hologram zoomed in to focus on four Behemoths that were cutting away from the main fight to attack her.

Another stream of fire, this time from heavy turbolasers, pounded her rear shields. She pulled her ship up, and in a wide loop as she tried to throw off her attacker. The turbolaser fire went astray, and she powered laser energy into the shields as she levelled out. The Behemoths were getting closer.

It was no use. The laser fire continued, and her shields were quickly being drained by glancing hits. She was using all in her power to avoid the shots, but once those Behemoths got in range she would be dead, if not already killed by the Fang Capital ship.

Dracina barrel-rolled to starboard and dived, before twisting to port and boosting underneath the capital ship. Out of the other side, she dived again, and spiralled away from it. The laser fire was vastly astray now, the gunners unable to keep up with the quick manoeuvres. She smiled slightly, but then the display brought up new information.

An Eagle warship was closing in on her, and the Behemoths had changed their paths to intercept. If she continued, she would be shredded by the laser fire from the ships. Angling up, Dracina boosted along a new path, but the targeting hologram confirmed what she had feared; they were trapping her in. No matter where she moved, they would change position and prepare to fire when she got in range.

Dracina pulled her fighter up, and then twisted one hundred and eighty degrees to level out, heading back for the capital ship. That's where they wanted her, and it appeared that this was the only thing she could do. But one fighter versus a capital ship...the outcome was obvious, but Dracina would put up a good fight.

A tone sounded as the Behemoths locked on, and an idea sprang into her mind. She flicked targeting information over to the firing torpedoes, and focused her ship to fly directly towards the Fang.

She could imagine the creatures on the bridge of the Fang, questioning her sanity as she flew towards her doom. And part of her agreed with them, maybe she wasn't completely sane. But it was better than surrendering her fate to a fiery death.

The torpedoes came closer, and the targeting hologram showed they were only a click away. When facing torpedoes head-on, an agile starfighter could jink to throw them off and send them harmlessly past the ship, but when the torpedoes were behind the starfighter, it was near impossible to throw them off.

But Dracina wasn't trying to throw them off. As the counter passed 0.30 clicks, she pulled her fighter up and around the protruding bridge of the Fang capital ship. She could imagine the horrified responses of the Bridge crew as they realised her actions.

The Behemoths had given her a fine arsenal to work with. Three torpedoes impacted on the shields of the Fang before a rift opened, and the remaining five flew straight in and hit the ship. The resulting explosion vaporized all biological matter on the bridge, and the power surges from it travelled down the complex electronics of the enemy ship, shutting down system after system, turning what was once a weapon of terror into a dry husk. In the Force, Dracina sensed the hundreds of lives perish as the life support finally overloaded and shorted out.

The advancing Behemoths had not expected this, and tried to split to avoid the debris. However, the uncoordinated manoeuvres sent two ships to their doom immediately as the collided in mid-flight, and another as it crashed into the remains of the Fang when it couldn't pull out in time. The last escaped the shrapnel and gave a boost of speed as it re-directed all of its power into the engines. Dracina gave a thought to pursue it, but just then an electronic transmission from Alex was brought up on the main display. There was a large fleet coming out of hyperspace.

Dracina smiled and sat back as the lone Behemoth, thinking it had made its escape, was suddenly confronted by the Redemption Army. It twisted and pulled away, but then the vast flagship of the fleet reverted to realspace.

It's long cockpit overhead of two powerful laser cannons protruded from a large hull, from which sprouted four stabilizer wings, two on each side, the main rear dorsal stabilizer and three engines. In addition to the laser cannons on the front, less powerful but movable cannons were mounted on the wingtips and where the wings met the body.

The Great Fox momentarily charged its wingtip cannons, before sending a concentrated blast at the lone Behemoth. It immediately disintegrated, leaving only small shards of shrapnel where there was once a fighter.

The reinforcements had finally arrived.


	5. The Reunion

Chapter 5: The Reunion

Now that the reinforcements had entered the area, the enemy ships had no chance. The remaining Behemoths had split away from the flight; some heading back for their ships, some just trying to escape into hyperspace themselves.

The Eagles had turned to fight, but as soon as it was in range the Great Fox let loose a volley of laser fire, with destroyed two of them. A third one turned to flee, but the Great Fox had reached it. Slowly, it edged forwards until the ship was overhead the warship, and then its Stasis fields activated.

The Stasis fields were generators which stopped time altogether. By focusing many Stasis drives at one object, like the warship, the Great Fox was able to freeze time in it. Slowly, the lumbering mass of Redemption Army's flagship turned and got ready for hyperspace. The crew of the Eagle would be interrogated and then kept as prisoners when the opportunity came to negotiate with the enemy. The ship itself would be studied to recognise the modifications and specifications, and then either used for training, cannon fodder or undercover operations.

With a boost, the Great Fox shot back into hyperspace. The two artillery cannons, which had never been in range of anything, tried to fire off a burst of laser life after it, but both of the lasers dissipated. An _Angler_-class Corvette, the _Gryphon_, fired off its continuous lasers from its underside. The first artillery cannon exploded as the continuous beams hit its main reactor as they penetrated its weak armour. The other one turned to flee, but strayed into the range of the planetary defence cannons.

The defence cannons, stored and readied underground on Earth, were powerful enough to blast at any ship within a certain distance from the surface and with great effect. Seen from space, five pairs of lasers leapt out from different origins, and converged on the lone artillery unit.

It was ripped into three pieces, and the cannons once again blazed into life to shred the remaining debris.

John reignited his starfighter engines, and breathed a sigh of relief when they powered up with only a slight hesitation from the starboard one. He brought his ship round, and tracked Dracina's starfighter.

With a boost, Dracina brought her fighter in next to Johns, and through the transparent energy shields of the cockpits they smiled at each other as they both made their way back to the _Interdictor Death_.

A short message was broadcast, and the centre section of the corvette detached itself and descended into the ship. The computer plotted the courses for them, and both John and Dracina relinquished control of their fighters as they were give over to autopilot.

***

John's Starstrike pulled into the hangar bay. It rotated a hundred and eighty degrees as the energy shield energised over the opening, and the blast doors closed. John waited a moment as the hangar re-pressurized, and as it finished a green light came on, signifying the safety of the atmosphere.

He disengaged the energy field around the cockpit, and climbed out. His feet hit the floor, and he paused to stretch. A starfighters cockpit was hardly the most luxurious place to sit for extended periods of time.

He disconnected the grenades he had taken and returned them to their holders. He rarely needed them, but he always grabbed some, just in case. They were durable enough not to be detonated by stray laser fire, and should he need to make an emergency landfall to tackle enemy units on the ground, they would come in handy.

He shrugged his shoulders, pushing his cape back; as he heard the door to the adjacent hangar bay open. He turned, already knowing who was there.

Dracina stood in the doorway, facing him with a slight smile on her face. Her scales shone, in the hue one might see when they looked up at a clear sky on a warm summer's day. The two horns that sprouted from the back of her head were onyx black, and the eyes beneath her crests were a golden yellow, filled with warmth and longing. Her wings were slightly apart, and her tail swung slightly from side to side.

They stood, admiring the other for a moment, before John stepped forwards. "Dracina..." He whispered, and Dracina whispered his name likewise as they met in the middle of the hangar and embraced. Dracina hung her head over John's left shoulder, both arms wrapped around him. John buried his face in the scales at her neck, lost in the enticing scent that her body naturally produced. They stood there for what could have been a few seconds, but equally could have been a number of years.

They pulled back for a second, and lost themselves in each other's eyes, before coming together again for a tender kiss. Their hands wrapped around each other as they did so.

Finally, they pulled back and parted, but still faced the other. John looked her up and down. "It's been ages since I last saw you...I missed you" he said quietly, a small tear forming in his eye.

Dracina's smile widened as she took his hands in hers. "It's ok...I'm here now" she said simply, and pulled him into another embrace. She patted the back of his head, her talons running through his thick hair. "And I missed you too"

They kissed once more, and John lost himself in her embrace. The war no longer mattered. The recent battle may as well have been centuries ago. To John, what really mattered was here and now. He was once again with Dracina, with her voice and her laugh, her warmth and her embraces. He was once again complete.


	6. Debriefing

Chapter 6: Debriefing

John glanced over at the green cyborg sitting on the stepped surface to his right, half in shadow, his front half being illuminated only by the central hologram showing Dracina's starfighter in the recent battle. He was Vorzahk, and the second member of Redemption Flight.

Vorzahk had once been human, but that had been long ago. The short, unkempt, jet-black hair and pale skin had been burned away after a fearsome lightsaber duel. He was lucky to be alive, but that luck had been at a cost.

He was now mostly machine. The only organic parts of him left were his brain and his heart, and part of his face. The rest of his body was thick, dark-green metal surrounding complex circuitry, imitating his body's missing parts. His head however was like an inverted arrowhead, with the point at the back. This part was a glowing red. His body was modelled on the Kurahk species, on his own request. He had never given a reason for it. John noted his synthetic teeth slowly making small circular motions as they ground away at air, and the green eyes that were now devoid of emotion. Making him a cyborg had given Vorzahk great abilities and made him stronger than any human, but it had taken away his mind.

John pulled his face away from Vorzahk, only glancing at the hologramatic display as he did so, and instead turned his head to Dracina.

She was smiling slightly, watching with clear pride as her manoeuvres were depicted clearly for all to see. And she had every right to be; her actions had lead to the destruction of three Behemoths and a Fang, and she hadn't fired a single shot. John continued to look at her for a few more seconds, admiring her form and figure, and gazing into her eyes. They were flicking from Vorzahk to Alex, gauging their reactions, seeing if she had impressed them. Her eyes then flicked to John, and they shared a smile before looking back at the hologram.

It showed an outside view of the Starstrike as it deftly avoided the bridge, and then the 'camera' zoomed out to encompass the huge, elliptical bride of the Fang as well, and several small screens opened up to show close-ups as the missiles hit the shields then the bridge. In the hologramatical simulation, the explosion was spectacular. John could only guess what it would have been for Dracina, who was actually there.

Across the room from John, Alex let out a cry of amazement as the Fang began to explode from the inside, shooting jets of shrapnel into space, and the doomed Behemoth as it plummeted into the centre of it all. Dracina beamed, glancing at him and then John, who also smiled.

These holographic simulations were officially for documentation of the events and accurate readings, but the real reason that they had been introduced was a way for the rest of Redemption Flight to brag and show off their skills; the final word in the 'I don't believe you' argument, common in verbal accounts of battles.

The hologram extended and the invisible camera zoomed out again to its limits, showing the Redemption fleet fall out of hyperspace, and then centred in again on Dracina's fighter as it returned to the _Interdictor Death_.

The machine shut down, and the room resumed its normal level of lighting. Vorzahk spoke in his deep voice, that sounded like it had echoed off walls of steel and then the echoes had amalgamated to create a single voice.

"File designation: Dracina, Starstrike, battle record 04311 saved. Good work."

"Good work!?" exclaimed Alex, who rose to walk over to Dracina. "That was probably the singularly most impressive piece of flying I have ever had the fortune to witness." He bowed elegantly, and looked up at her for approval.

Dracina laid back, a smile on her face. "And how many times did you practise that little performance?" she said in a superior tone. Alex's smile vanished, and his elongated cheeks showed the hint of a blush as he straightened and returned to his seat. "Nice try." She said simply after him, not hiding her amusement. Alex resumed sitting down in his previous place, alternating his resigned glare between Dracina and the metal floor.

"Is that all?" John enquired. Vorzahk nodded. "Then I think that about wraps it up." He rose, as did Dracina and Vorzahk. Alex stayed seated.

As Vorzahk collected some datachips from the recorder next to him, Dracina met John and they walked towards him. Vorzahk looked up, and began to smile. Or rather, what passed for a smile from him.

Dracina and Vorzahk locked their right hands together, in the position one might start an arm wrestle as. This was a common greeting among Redemption Flight.

"How are you doing, Vorzahk?" Dracina smiled warmly.

"I'm doing fine, keeping Base running has its own rewards." He adopted a serious tone. "What happened in the Takarni system?"

Dracina hesitated only slightly. "They needed a show of power, so I went in and gave them one."

Vorzahk frowned at her. "I already know that. I'm going to need a written report of everything that went on, preferably with corresponding holographic datachips. I don't want to have to look for the flight recorders myself."

Dracina rolled her eyes. "Vorzahk you know how much I hate having to write down the accounts. How's this; _Vini, vidi, vici. _Happy?"

Vorzahk looked at her with an unreadable expression for a moment. "Ok, that's fine."

Dracina was taken aback. "Fine?"

"Yes." Said Vorzahk. "Just add another five thousand or so words and you'll be done."

Dracina grimaced. "I'll get it done for tomorrow afternoon." She said simply. Vorzahk chuckled in his unique voice.

"That's what I like to hear." Dracina moved away. "Oh, and well done for today! I've rarely seen better flying."

Dracina stopped and turned her head, only one golden eye visible. "Coming from you...that means a lot" Her smile returned to her face. Vorzahk smiled back as much as he could, and Dracina walked out of the room as the metal door opened.

Vorzahk turned his gaze to John. "And what do you want?"

"First, I think you should learn to lighten up a bit." He said.

"Levity doesn't get the job done" Vorzahk retorted.

"No, but neither does grouchiness."

"Grouchiness!?" Vorzahk looked truly offended. John decided to change the subject.

"Secondly, how are things back at Base?"

Vorzahk resumed his normal tone. "Everything's normal, as ever, so there's nothing much to report. I suppose you're asking about..."

John cut him off. "Yes."

Vorzahk kept his voice level. "He's becoming quite good."

"At?"

Vorzahk sighed. "Everything."

John frowned. "Everything...?" Vorzahk nodded. "Surely there must be _one _thing that he excels in.

"Well, he's becoming especially adept in the Force."

John hesitated. "How adept?"

Vorzahk then seemed to change the subject entirely. "Why don't you come sometime?" Vorzahk asked. John raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Instead, he pondered Vorzahk's suggestion for a moment.

"I don't see why not. I'll drop in when I'm next available."

Vorzahk and John locked hands together, as Dracina and Vorzahk had done. "I'll see you then, Vorzahk."

"And you."

John turned and walked towards the door. It slid upwards with a hiss, revealing Dracina standing on the other side. She was watching Alex with a smile as he stalked off down the corridor. John decided to talk to her about that matter as she fell into step next to him.

"I do think what you did to Alex was a bit harsh."

"So do I, but it was funny, wasn't it?"

John sighed.

"Hey, I'm sure he'll get over it. He always does, you'll see."

"I still think you should make it up to him somehow." John replied. Dracina smiled.

"Maybe....but it doesn't mean I'll refrain from doing it next time." John huffed, and Dracina gave him a playful shove. After that, they continued walking. Dracina seemed to following John, but he took no notice.

They reached the doorway to John's quarters. He pressed a button to the side, and the door slid to the right, revealing a medium sized room, complete with bedding facilities, washing and sanitary facilities and a small lounge area. The room itself wasn't tidy, but it wasn't a mess either. John entered the room, and disconnected his cape. It was really just for show, so he didn't need it in his quarters.

He turned back, to see Dracina standing in the doorway. She was leaning against the frame, her body in partial silhouette. Her tail swung slowly behind her. Altogether, she seemed rather seductive, and...

"Are you going to go to your own quarters?" he asked. Dracina stayed where she was.

"Who said I had quarters?"

"Alex didn't give you any?"

"No. I requested to have none."

John smiled knowingly as he understood, and the door slid back to its rest as Dracina entered John's quarters, plunging the both of them into darkness.


	7. Discussions

Chapter 7: Discussions

John woke slowly, his body having to adjust to his environment. He looked around, before realising where he was, namely his quarters.

He became aware of a low sound near him, a slight grumbling noise. He reached out his hand, and felt the warm scales of Dracina's shoulder. He smiled as he drew his hand back, and lay against her again.

It was a few minutes later that he decided to get up. Carefully, he reached back and lifted Dracina's right arm from around his back, and put it by her side, with only a slight indication of her sleep being disturbed, before her breathing resumed its slow rhythm.

John rolled of the bed, and put his bare feet on the floor. Shoes were suitable elsewhere, necessary even, yet he never wore them in his quarters. He preferred the feel of carpet under his feet.

He rose so as to not wake the sleeping dragoness, and stretched in the near-darkness. He licked his lips slightly, and turned back to gaze at Dracina again. She seemed so vulnerable now, in her sleep. A far cry from what she was at heart; a strong warrior, a veteran of many battles both on land and in space, capable of defeating even the strongest warriors even when outnumbered.

Yet now, she slept, an atmosphere of peacefulness and serenity surrounding her.

John let out a slight laugh at the irony, of this, and then entered a cubicle to have a shower.

When he emerged, dry from the installed blowers, the lights were still off and Dracina was still asleep, albeit her position had changed slightly. John knelt down as she began to stir from the noise he was making. She opened an eye, to look at John's face.

"Morning" he said simply. Though he couldn't see much in the lack of lighting, Dracina's highly sensitive eyes could see as well as John could in the day.

"Good morning to you too" she said sleepily, and they kissed briefly. Dracina smiled, and John straightened and stood.

"Lights, level 3" he commanded, and the lighting in the room rose slightly. He could now see everything in the room, though it was still semi-twilight. He knew Dracina liked the dark.

"So what are you going to do this cycle, then?" Dracina asked. Cycles were their form of days, and the length of them was determined by the speed at which they orbited the planet they were above.

John sauntered to a holopanel, and began to check on several bytes of data he was studying. "Well, there's nothing pressing I need to do." He began.

"Those are the best kind of days" Dracina replied, leaning back on the bed.

"Mmhm. I was actually thinking about going back to Base, see how it's running."

"Isn't that Vorzahk's job?" She asked, supporting her upper body on her elbows.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't drop in every now and again. Anyway, Base has got the best training facilities."

"I may as well come with you then." Dracina replied, swinging her legs over the side of the bunk.

John smiled. Dracina went practically everywhere he went, which was the main reason that she had loathed carrying out the recent Takarni mission.

"Ok then" said John. "Just give me a few moments".

***

The visual implant swung out as John walked down the corridor. He had left Dracina back in his quarters, and had decided to go ahead and talk to Alex.

The image assembled itself in the green-tinted hologramatic image, showing Vorzahk. He seemed to be in his ship.

"John, I'm heading back to Base now."

"I thought you would have gone back last night"

Vorzahk looked around, as if to be sure that no-one was there. "I needed to make sure that the _Interdictor Death _was running smoothly. Alex is a fine commander, but ..."

"I know" John said, letting two Kurahk walk past him. He may be far superior to them in rank, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be polite. "You wanted to make sure"

"You know me too well" Vorzahk replied, with his own metallic hint of amusement.

"I'll see you around then" John said, then quickly added "Oh, and before you go, I have a request."

Vorzahk's hand hovered over the button to quit the comm. "What is it?"

"I'm going to need another Angler orbiting Earth at all times."

Vorzahk shook his head slightly. "Those corvettes are expensive, John; therefore they're in short supply. We can't let a small incident like this make us take another ship away from another planet. For all we know, that could be the intention of the enemy."

"I don't think that this was such a small incident" John said. "If the fleet hadn't got here in time, I wouldn't be speaking to you now."

Vorzahk hesitated for a few moments before answering. "I can't spare any more Anglers to protect Earth. In fact, it's too well defended now."

"How so!? I almost died out there!" John was beginning to get angry. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the Force, giving himself reassurance. "Why do you think that" he said calmly.

"Well, there are already two fully stocked Anglers here, and on board those are three Jedi; You, Dracina and Alex. Many planets are only protected by a single Angler, and without any of Redemption Flight."

"You know that Dracina and I can't be separated." John said. Vorzahk immediately replied.

"She seemed to get on well during the Takarni mission."

John looked around, and ducked into an alcove in the corridor, making sure no-one was around. He began to explain. "You don't know her as well as I do, Vorzahk. Last night, she revealed to me how much she needed me to work at her best. We work best as a team." He stopped for a moment. "You may or may not find this out when Dracina delivers her report, but she barely managed to complete her mission in the Takarni system."

Vorzahk stayed silent.

"She told me that she almost gave up. Dracina, giving up. That's how much she needs me. And I can't just abandon my home planet."

Vorzahk let out a long metallic sigh. "I understand. But we're straying from the main point here." He straightened in his chair. "I'll increase production of Anglers at the construction yards, as well as material income and research. The next Angler built shall be sent to protect Earth, that'll be in two standard weeks. Hopefully, they'll be enough spare to better protect planets in the future."

John smiled. "I knew you'd see my side of things. I suppose two weeks will have to do. May the force be with you, Vorzahk."

"Likewise. Vorzahk out." The visual implant slid back into its holder. As John got into the turbolift, he felt the vibrations of the centre section of the corvette descend into the ship.

When he emerged on the Bridge, Alex was standing, looking out of the main windows. As John watched, the black, three-pronged silhouette of the _Rogue_-class starship _The Shadow_ flew across the view from above the ship, and aligned itself in space, trailing red ion energy from its engines.

There was a slight fluctuation and increase in the engines, before with a flash the starship was thrust forwards, accelerating to speeds faster than light. Though it would take several seconds from inside the ship, due to the time distortion John saw it almost immediately disappear from view as a wormhole was created, a cosmic rift through which _The Shadow _flew and was swallowed. As instantaneous as its appearance, the wormhole closed again, sending dark-green ripples through the both the Force and the dark matter of space.

Alex turned and sat back down again in the commander's chair, which John stood beside.

"Did you come up here for a reason?" Alex asked, skipping the pleasantries.

John didn't reply immediately. "I see." He turned, and walked back to the doors to the Captain's Room. Alex followed him with his eyes, and got the hint. They entered together.

"Are you OK?" asked John as the door slid shut behind them. Alex looked at him curiously.

"Of course I am. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, bearing in mind what happened yesterday in debriefing..."

Alex looked away; instead he glanced at a number of the holoscreens present on the walls of the Captain's Room.

"You know she didn't mean it" John continued.

"I know" said Alex in a resigned tone, "but I think it even more helps to outline the fact."

"What fact?"

"That I haven't really got anyone."

John stopped. He remembered back, about how Dracina had come through from her own dimension for reasons unknown, and had joined Redemption shortly after. Her uniqueness in the Force led her quickly to a place in Redemption Flight.

About a year after, Alex had followed. It was revealed that Dracina and Alex had been emotionally attached some time ago, but something Alex had done had broken that. John could feel the pain coming from Alex even without the Force.

"Listen..." John started. Alex held up a hand, his back turned.

"No, it's OK. I need to realise that I'll never have anyone."

John looked at him curiously. "That's not true. I'm sure that one day, you'll find someone. Someone who you want to protect, who you want to fight for. Who you'd want to hold onto; someone you want to love."

Alex smiled weakly. "Thanks, John. I feel better now."

John grinned. "There's just one small thing..."

Alex looked at him. "What is it?"

"Do I have leave to return to Base, sir?" He said in a military voice, doing a mock salute. Alex chuckled slightly as John returned a bit of levity to the atmosphere.

"Sure, I can handle things back here." He patted him on the shoulder with one taloned hand. "When can I expect you to return?"

John shrugged. "Well, I want to spend some time with _him_..."

Alex put on a knowing expression. "Ah yes...how is _he _doing?"

"That's what I want to find out."

Alex nodded. And exchanging a brief smile, and they left the Captain's room together.


	8. Base

Chapter 8: Base

John flicked a switch to ignite the engines as the last of the _Interdictor Death_'s hangar shield slid past him, revealing once again the vacuum of space. The energy shields, creating a slight blue-tinted shimmer, were switched off. He pushed forward on the sticks as his Starstrike moved out, and to the left he saw Dracina's Starstrike do likewise. Together, they angled upwards and left, away from both the _Interdictor Death _and Earth, and out into space. John gave a brief nudge in the force to Alex, a farewell. Alex responded back likewise, and the _Interdictor Death_'s mid section rolled back into space.

John's radar showed the blue outline of Earth, with further lines of circles sharing the same centre point showing different Gravity boundaries.

The small arrow, indicating John's starfighter, passed the final boundary. He opened a comm. channel to Dracina.

"Exiting Earth's gravity well"

Dracina responded. "Powering up Hyperspace engines."

John flicked another switch, and felt the vibrations as his starfighters boosters began to charge.

A few seconds later, he acknowledged. "Hyperspace engines are fully charged."

"Preparing to make the jump to hyperspace." Dracina replied, and a countdown materialised on the chrono.

5...4...

John finished powering down the weapon systems, and put power into the forward shields.

3...2...

He sent an electronic acknowledgment to Dracina, and gripped the controls with his left hand while his right uncovered the hyperspace switch.

1...

He ignited the engines, and the time distortion took effect as the stars became lines of light around his cockpit. The artificially created wormhole opened as spacial anomalies took effect also, and for a moment it appeared to John as if he was rocketing through the universe, not just in the galaxy they had hyperspace access to.

The lines of light span suddenly, and then the entire of space turned black for a split second, with an absence of light so strong that even the lights in the cockpit could not penetrate the darkness, leaving John surrounded by nothing.

Then the moment was over, and the two Starstrikes appeared to decelerate as it entered a dark purple and black whirlpool at the centre of the hyperspace reality.

The comm. chimed, and Dracina appeared on it. "You know, I'll never get used to that" she admitted.

"They say that to look into hyperspace too long can drive you mad, but that was in the days of the outclassed hyperdrive systems, when they couldn't even make .9 past lightspeed."

"Well, at least that danger has been moved to just the entrance to hyperspace." She looked up past the minute camera that constructed her face, looking out of her own fighter. "Of course, you never know..."

John did likewise, gazing at the endless corridor of the purple swirls, rotating slowly about an unseen axis. What could be seen could not be described in mere words, hyperspace has to be _experienced._

The chronometer had stopped showing the time, since time distortion in hyperspace could not be measured, with the rates of time elapsing in the same 'journeys' apparently at random. Instead, it now showed a countdown to when the Starstrikes would revert back to realspace. It passed ten standard minutes, and continued to count down.

"Looks like we've got a while to wait anyway." Said John, and shifted in his seat to get more comfortable.

***

The rest of the hyperspace trip passed uneventfully, mainly a conversation between John and Dracina. As soon as the chrono passed one minute, they prepared themselves.

"I'm ready to come out of hyperspace" John reported.

"I copy and respond likewise" Dracina's voice carried clear over the comm.

They both gripped the controls. Being in the centre of the wormhole was like being in the eye of the storm; no danger whatsoever, as long as you stayed there. When you entered and exited the wormhole however...

The chrono slowly passed ten seconds. John shifted all available power to the shields.

To his left, he saw Dracina do the same, a slight shimmer around her cockpit as her shields went to the maximum they could be set at in hyperspace.

"Here we go" she said shortly as the Chrono hit three. The whirlpool outside of the cockpit stopped turning.

At two, it began to reverse itself, spinning anti-clockwise instead. At one, it had begun to pick up speed.

As the chronometer hit zero, everything went black. In the total darkness, John held tight onto the controls as the vibrations started, making his fighter seem like a leaf in a tornado. In actuality, both fighters were quite safe, but it didn't look like that from a Pilot's view.

But, as instantaneously as the vibrations had started, the suddenly ceased and the darkness lifted as both fighters reverted back to realspace.

Before them, standing against the deep blackness of space, was Base.

Base had once been a desert planet, devoid of any life for millennia. Being relatively small and unnoticed, Redemption had chosen to set up a large structure on the planet a century ago to house their fleet. In time however, much bigger structures were required. Finally, five decades ago, the most radical idea yet was presented to the seniors of Redemption.

There were to turn the entire planet into a base.

It would mean greater protection on the chance they would be discovered, and as there was no life there were no ethical implications. This was also what gave the planet its name.

The motion was decided, and work began the very next day. All the latest technology was used, and as the money that could be spared was poured into the project. The surface of the planet was littered with defence cannons and six entrance points, and down those points the centre of the planet was hollowed out. In its place was given a huge reactor to simulate the molten core, but with the added bonus of giving energy to the rest of the structures.

The main living and controlling areas were built off that, growing outwards from the centre as more of the mantle and core was removed. When they reached a certain level, hangars were built instead. These were made in spherical shapes, and designed so the hangars could move around the edges. Using this system, any ship could enter its appropriate hangar from any entrance point.

The system was a total success, and the planet Base became a nigh-impenetrable fortress.

Dracina opened a comm. "This is Redemption Flight one and three requesting entrance"

They waited only a few seconds before the reply came. "Redemption Flight one and three, you are cleared for entry. Proceed to entrance point four."

John brought up a HUD, which showed a flight path to the corresponding entrance. Dracina sped up slightly, moving so she was at ten o'clock, relative to John.

Together, they retained this formation as the approached Base, and the heavy blast doors around the entrance opened. The atmosphere around the planet had been lost after the construction of the internal facility, so even inside the access points, there was a vacuum.

Dracina and John entered together, and the blast doors slowly slid closed behind them. John pulled right as his targeting display was linked into the network of the access tunnel, and showed the split up ahead. Dracina manoeuvred her craft to the left, and they both flew down their separate routes.

John's starfighter slowed as the network relayed commands to it, and behind John a large blast door closed, leaving him facing a second closed one up ahead. Air began to filter into the enclosed space, until the short section of tunnel was filled with the artificial atmosphere.

The blast doors in front of him opened, and John pressed on the speed control, pushing fighter forwards through the threshold and into the hangar.

The tunnel opened up into a vast expanse, a large mass of white girders and energy shielding. It was cube shaped, yet surrounded by circular girders that meant it could move around. Along three of the edges, in front of John and to the sides, were situated various computers and holoscreens where Kurahk worked. In the centre was a small platform with docking equipment on it.

John's fighter edged forward, and slowly settled down on the platform. The docking clamps around the edge flicked into place, and his fighter powered down as it was secured.

A small ramp slid out from the computer area, called the technical deck, and joined with the platform.

John deactivated the shielding around his fighter's cockpit, and stood up, looking out at the hangar bay, now slowly rotating as it moved around to a storage area of the facility, ready to accept new fighters and deploy others.

It was here that he'd first come to start his training, and it had been here that many of the discoveries had been made. Where new starships were created and tested, and where new beings joined their ranks.

John smiled to himself, and stepped down out of the fighter.


	9. Sudden Combat

Chapter 9: Sudden Combat

The turbolift whirred monotonously as it moved through the depths of Base towards his destination. Beside him, Dracina was leaning on the clean white metal walls.

"So where first?"

"I think Vorzahk would like to know we're here first" John replied. "Although with his constant monitoring of the security systems, he is probably already aware of our arrival."

"Can you blame him?" Dracina asked rhetorically. "He does run the planet, you know"

"I think him more of a figurehead. Most of the running is done by the subordinates, in my experience" John replied. Dracina just smiled.

"You don't know him well enough"

"On the contrary, my dear dragoness, I know him very well". The turbolift gave a lurch.

Dracina tilted her head to one side, and was suddenly lost in thought. "One moment..."

The doors opened suddenly, and the sudden stop made the two of them fall forwards across the threshold of the open doors, and momentarily John lost all sense as his head hit the ground, and the scaled body of Dracina fell on top of him, before rolling off to the side.

He blinked twice, and managed to push himself up from the hard steel floor. That in itself was curious, since the floors around the main workings of Base were carpeted for the comfort of the workers.

John put a hand against his throbbing head, and looked around. The room in which he now stood, swaying slightly, was circular and about twenty metres in diameter. The ceiling was lost to the darkness, as the only light came from a covered source about ten metres from the floor, casting a pale yellow glow against the floors and the bottom of the walls.

Turning around, John looked at Dracina, still lying down. He knelt, and helped her to her feet.

"What...what happened?" She managed to say.

"I don't know. Maybe the turbolift encountered fault in the control systems."

"Where are we?"

"I don't know" admitted John, "But I don't want to be around for too long. Let's go."

While John supported Dracina, they both stumbled towards the open turbolift doors. Yet when they got within a few centimetres, they slid closed with a hiss.

"What the...?" Dracina said, and then was interrupted by a movement in the force. Now free of the concussion they had both acquired, they turned in unison. From above them, in the unforeseen darkness, spoke a voice.

"So...you've finally come. It took you a while"

The voice was soft, but filled with darkness. John felt his hand move slowly to his belt where he kept his lightsabers. To his right, Dracina did the same.

"What do you want?" Dracina demanded.

"Oh, that's not very polite, is it?" The voice replied.

"I don't make a point of exchanging pleasantries with my enemy." Dracina countered. "Now why did you bring us here?"

"Don't you want to know where here is first?"

"It's a mystery we will solve later," John explained, "after we have defeated you."

"A little...overconfident, are we?"

"There are two of us...and by the sound of it, only one of you."

The voice gave a slight chuckle, one that could warm the heart had it not been filled with unforeseen menace. "Oh, it is not how many of you there are that decides the outcome of situations, but how powerful each element is. Put simply..."

The figure leapt from his invisible perch, and dropped to the floor. He was on one knee and supported himself with one hand, head bowed and eyes closed.

"...victory shall belong to me."

Before both Dracina and John knelt a bipedal Jackal. His fur was a washed-out blue, somewhere in the middle of royal blue and turquoise, except for his hands and feet which were a dark grey colour, almost black. His ears were likewise coloured, and pointed upwards from the top of his head, and they twitched as they reacted to every sound in the room, and probably more. As the Jackal looked up and opened his eyes, revealing circles of red outlined by white.

"Lokaryo" John uttered. The Jackal rose.

"The last name you shall utter" Lokaryo stated. He rose his right arm, and on it was strapped a gold plate. As they watched, a pale blue stream of energy emerged vertically from each of the two ends.

Lightsabers.

Dracina pulled her own lightsaber free from her belt, and ignited the red blade. To her right, John grabbed the protrusions from his two Guard Shotos, and ignited a golden blade in his right hand and a purple one in his left. He deftly spun the purple round to cover his arm defensively, and drew back with the golden one ready for a lunge.

They stood, two against one in the dimly lit room, each waiting for the other to act first. John felt in the force, but recoiled when he felt the power emanate from this new enemy. Lokaryo smiled, clearly confident in his abilities.

Dracina struck first. In a single move, she took two steps forward and slashed from the left with her blade, but it was easily blocked by one of Lokaryo's lightsabers. She pushed with her blade, turning Lokaryo's blade likewise, and then disengaged as she danced around him.

John rushed forwards, and swung widely with his golden blade at Lokaryo's unprotected side. For a moment, it looked like the fight was going to end there and then, but suddenly...

_Pshmmm_

The sound of another lightsaber filled the small room, and John's blade stopped as it hit and ground against the new weapon. It was held in Lokaryo's left hand, and was black outlined by white. Lokaryo didn't even look as he shoved back with his arm, aided with the force, knocking John away and focusing on Dracina.

The blue-scaled dragoness held her lightsaber vertically to block an incoming attack from the side, and then switched it horizontally to black an uppercut as Lokaryo jerked his arm. She took the offensive here, and slashed from the right, but Lokaryo whirled round to face her fully now. He easily blacked the slash with the lightsabers strapped to his right arm, and then slashed with the black lightsaber in his left. Dracina jumped back, and found herself pressed against the wall.

"Lokaryo!" John shouted, and swung from overhead. Lokaryo spun round, and caught the swing in midair, forcing John's lightsaber out of his grip. It span across the room, and hit the metal wall with a clang.

This had given Dracina enough time to recover though, and gripping he lightsaber in both hands, she walked quietly up behind Lokaryo. He couldn't possible know she was there.

But he did.

Lokaryo turned quickly, and pushed forwards with his right arm. The Force was channelled through the furred arm, along the blue blade and finally released outwards towards Dracina.

She was thrown backwards, hard against the metal wall, her head smashing against it before she fell to the floor unmoving.

"Dracina, no!" John shouted, but then hastily brought up his left arm to block an attack from Lokaryo. Taking the T-shaped hilt in both hands, he slashed to the sides to avoid slashes by the lightsabers wielded by his enemy. Without Dracina, he would have no hope of winning, but he had to try.

He dived onto the floor into a somersault, avoiding a slash by Lokaryo, and stayed kneeling in a defensive position as he grabbed the golden lightsaber that he had previously lost. Igniting it, he held both in a cross shape as Lokaryo brought down two overhead slices. The attacks were stopped, but John was having a hard time keeping his blades up.

Lokaryo broke off the attack, and retreated a few steps. John felt a moment of elation as he suddenly thought that his enemy may be suffering more than was shown. Jumping up, he slashed from the left with both of his lightsabers, great arcs of purple and gold combined, and fell for the trap.

Lokaryo leant back, letting the lightsabers miss him by a couple of millimetres. He struck the blades with one of the blue lightsabers on his right arm, creating momentum and force that made John turn all the way around. In a final, finishing move, Lokaryo stabbed.

As time began to slow, John could only watch in horror as he was impaled by the dark blade, his internal organs burning white hot, the same as the hue around the lightsaber, as they were severed and cut.

The lightsaber was fully in now, and John could already feel the life draining out of him. It had been a perfect stab, cutting a hole through both his heart and left lung as it made its effortless path through his body.

Collapsing to his knees, the dying Jedi could only comprehend how fast he'd fallen, how little he had been able to fight back. Lokaryo pulled back, showing the cauterised hole straight though his body. John fell, and his last sight was of Dracina's unconscious body as the last drop of life in his body left him, and he exhaled his final breath.


	10. Base Control

Chapter 10: Base Control

The warmth spread slowly, like the roots of a plant through his body. Feeling returned to his arms and legs slowly. His wound also began to heal, skin and flesh repairing themselves faster than natural repair systems could. His mind that had almost totally died began to work again, and thoughts ran through his head as he relived his own life.

First he was back on Earth, with his family. A baby, no more than two years old. Life was carefree and rich. He grew in body and mind as he got older, until that one day.

His potential had been revealed to all, and as the shockwave of his effects flew across the galaxy, the two sides had become engaged in a fierce race to find him first.

And then, nothing. Time skipped a whole year, and his memory resumed when he was on Base, training. The first year as he became more adept at the force, as he flew his first Starfighter...

...his first encounter with the enemy. He had almost died, and would have had he not been saved by Dracina.

Since then, he and Dracina had been very close, his debt to her for saving his life. They had fought as one in lightsaber combat and starfighter battles, and had triumphed together.

Then came the recent battle for Earth, heading to base, the conflict with Lokaryo was but a frame in his reel of life before it had blinked out of existence.

Yet...

John opened his eyes. The room was blurred and hazy, and his head rang with a large headache. His limbs were stiff, and there was a dull ache in his chest.

Raising his arms, he covered his face and groaned, rubbing his eyes as he did so. When he opened them again, he could see.

Standing above him, arm outstretched to help him up, stood the blue furred form of Lokaryo. His red eyes that were previously hard and unfeeling were now soft and filled with warmth, his smile no longer malicious but triumphant mixed with sympathy. His black ears were now slanted back slightly, instead of the straight upwards positions showing alertness.

John smiled, and grasped the outstretched arm, pulling himself up. Lokaryo was about the same height as him, if a tiny bit shorter. In the background, he could hear the feminine voice of Base's main computer system utter two words.

"Simulation Over"

The walls, floor and everything else in the room apart from the turbolift entrance seemed to turn to sand and began to fly off into an unseen wind as the hard-light holograms cancelled, revealing a much bigger, brightly lit room of a similar size, yet the walls were now a metallic grey along with the floor.

"It's kind of a cheat, isn't it?" asked Dracina, who walked over to the two of them. "I mean, it's not even real combat. You fight, you die, then the whole thing ends and you come back to life."

"It's meant to train us for when we need it" Lokaryo replied. His voice was as soft as his eyes now, kind and light-hearted.

"It's better this than dead on a battlefield somewhere" John added.

"That doesn't mean I have to find it beneficial." Dracina replied, returning her lightsaber to her leather sashes that crossed her chest. "When in battle, you will feel fear. Here...you know that there is no punishment, no consequence for failure"

"Apart from an attack on the pride of the loser" Lokaryo added.

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Dracina smiled, and stood next to him. "From what Vorzahk has told us, you are a proud creature aren't you?"

"It's in my nature" Lokaryo replied. "And I have reason. I just managed to win a fight against two other Jedi, and I used nothing but my own abilities to my advantage"

"Whatever" said John. He thought he should feel bad about losing, but for some reason he had taken a shine to this Jackal-like Jedi. He had been found after an incident had led the Great Fox to stray into range of an enemy cannon. John had ordered it to retreat, but the commander had refused and managed to not only protect John from the numerous blasts, but also managed to rescue a highly damaged _Angler-_class corvette from certain destruction and get out of there, without a single casualty.

Afterwards, Vorzahk had looked for the commander, but instead found Lokaryo, standing in the Flagship's hangar bay directing support for the corvette grasped in the Stasis Field of the Great Fox. Prior to the battle, he had boarded the Great Fox and assumed control, using his already trained force powers to not only persuade the crew to follow him, but to keep the ship safe.

Upon realising his potential, Lokaryo had been taken into the training for becoming the fifth member of Redemption Flight. Since then, his force abilities had only gotten better, a point proven in the recent fight. When he was asked where he obtained these abilities, he would avoid the question. It was futile to get him to talk about his past, making him a source of mystery.

"I trust there was a particular reason for coming to Base?" Lokaryo asked. Unlike what his gleeful expression showed, Lokaryo seemed to be very serious.

"I was just coming to check out Vorzahk and how Base is running"

"Speaking of which" Dracina interrupted, "Why did we suddenly change direction and arrive here? The turbolift was set t take us straight to Vorzahk."

Lokaryo remained silent, but his mouth curved up a bit at the side.

"You" John asked, incredulous.

"It was simple" Lokaryo replied.

"Simple? How?" Dracina replied. "The force power needed to move two Jedi in a large mass of durasteel, powered along by repulsor generators and ion flows, against the direction of the current movement that's powered by the said drives, without the computer being able to activate override or a noticeable change in direction, or shorting out the systems, is immense." She folded her arms, and twin puffs of smoke emerged from her nostrils. "I know Vorzahk spoke highly of you when it came to the Force, but I don't think you have that much ability."

"I don't" Lokaryo replied simply. Dracina did not move. "I simply used the Force to make the electronics send strategically placed bursts of energy to the various systems, similar to the ones that would make it change direction, and manoeuvred the turbolift here." This time, he didn't even smile. Dracina remained silent, but John could feel through their telepathic link that inside she wasn't as unresponsive.

Feeling their conversation was at an end, Lokaryo gave a brief smile and headed through the now-open turbolift doors. They slid shut behind him and a brief sound was heard as it powered away.

Dracina continued to stand where she was, her arms still folded at her chest, glaring angrily at the closed doors. John looked at her for a few moments, and then retrieved his lightsabers from the floor where he dropped them. There were no scars or scratches on them; the simulation field encompassed everything in the room.

John walked past Dracina and pressed a button to the side of the doors. He waited patiently for a few seconds as another turbolift arrived, and then stepped across the threshold, holding the doors open with the Force as he turned to face Dracina, who had still not moved.

"Dracina, you coming?" John asked.

There was a pause. "I'm going to get that jackal" she said finally, and followed him in.

***

Wherever Lokaryo had gone, it wasn't the Control room. John and Dracina stepped through the turbolift doors into a large, trapezium-shaped room, with the three smaller walls adorned with countless displays, security feeds, readouts and schematics. And, facing a main holoprojector in front of far wall, with their back to them, sat Vorzahk.

John was about to take a step forwards, when Vorzahk span in his chair. "Hello" he said simply. "You came here quickly."

John froze. How could he have known? Vorzahk seemed to anticipate John's thought though, and gestured slightly with his scarlet head towards the holoprojector behind him. Looking over the chair, John realised that he was seeing a large transparent hologram of Base, with the many turbolift paths shown in white, and the one they had just travelled along highlighted in orange.

Dracina walked over past Vorzahk, and began to examine the projection in more detail. John stayed where he was. "How long have you been watching us?" John asked.

"Ever since you arrived. Remember, down in here I have complete access to anything I want – it's not called the Control room for nothing you know."

"You know about Lokaryo then?"

"Know about him?" Vorzahk gave his metallic chuckle. "I was monitoring your movement towards him. In fact, he told me he was setting the trap."

Dracina had looked away from the projection, and was looking from Vorzahk to John with a look of grim expectation.

"Which means..." Vorzahk reached out to his right and pressed part of a holoscreen, and a port spat out a small but durable disk. "...I've got the entire fight stored solely on here"

"Give me that" snapped Dracina, and snatched the disk from his grasp. Vorzahk watched with no hint of an expression as she walked back towards John, slipping the disk into a small pocket on one of her sashes.

"Lokaryo went down to the Force Training grounds." Vorzahk continued. "He said he would before he turned in for the night."

John checked a wall-mounted chronometer. Base was much closer to the sun than Earth and also span quicker, so its days were significantly shorter, only fourteen hours. John knew from experience that his human body couldn't cope with frequent changes to his internal body clock. Because of that, he made a point of staying at least a week in a single place. Any more frequent would be unhealthy, let alone confusing.

"You're not going to ask why we came then?" John asked.

"It's obvious; you wanted to see how I was doing, and to see Lokaryo as well, to help him train."

"I'm that transparent?"

"No, it's just that there's not much else to do on this planet, that's all. Nothing you'd use, anyway, apart from the rest of the simulators." He turned back to the banks of holoscreens. "And I should know, being here all day everyday"

"It's not like you have to" John replied, "You deserve a break anyway. Dracina and I could run the planet while you stay on a nice beach somewhere a few lightyears away."

Vorzahk shook his head. "Won't happen. I don't need rest John, and no offense to either Dracina or you, but you couldn't run this place. I have loads of work to do to catch up, even from only being on the _Interdictor Death _for number of standard hours."

"Well, if you're happy." John replied.

"Happy doesn't enter into it, it needs to be done. There's rarely any time for games/"

"It sounds like you're bitter about it."

"Hardly."

John waited for anything else, and when he realised none would come, he entered the turbolift behind him. Dracina followed, but as the doors were sliding shut John noticed the Holoprojector switch from its three-dimensional map of the base to the recent lightsaber fight with Lokaryo, showing that the only copy of the fight wasn't on the disk.

It turned out there was time for games after all.


	11. Force Training

Chapter 11: Force Training

The turbolift doors closed after Dracina. She had decided not to join John with his training with Lokaryo, but had instead decided to go to her temporary quarters here on Base. John didn't blame her after the defeat, but training Lokaryo was one of the main reasons he came here.

Yet it was ironic; he was now going to the facility to train someone who had just easily defeated him and his partner in battle. John wondered who was actually going to learn from the training.

The turbolift doors opened again, and thankfully, this time he wasn't thrown out into the room. Stepping over the threshold, he emerged into a vast cavernous room, much larger than the Lightsaber Simulation area. The walls were simulated rock, the floor covered finely with artificial sand. Along the ground were littered rocks and objects of varying sizes, from being pieces of gravel to even parts of starships. Along the wall were electrical conductors, and in front of the turbolift there was an activated, strong energy shield.

And, in the midst of it all, stood Lokaryo.

From behind the energy shield, John watched as he reached out with the Force, picked up a medium sized boulder, and threw it back against a wall. The walls themselves were also reinforced to prevent any serious damage to them above a few scratches.

Lokaryo picked up a second boulder and sent it after the first, but this time picked up the first as the second was still flying. The two smashed together and shattered, sending pieces flying outwards.

John stepped forwards, out of the barrier. As Lokaryo lifted up a segment of a stabilizer wing, John reached out in the force and felt for something to grasp. Just as Lokaryo sent the wing flying up through the air, John hurled an empty crate at it. The two met with a metallic crash, and Lokaryo deftly flipped backwards to avoid the two pieces as they succumbed to the artificial gravity of the planet.

His movement was graceful, a perfect move before Lokaryo landed not a metre in front of John, turned and called his black lightsaber to his hand, but refraining from igniting it. John didn't even flinch.

Lokaryo relaxed, letting his arm drop to his side. "If I had ignited my lightsaber, you wouldn't be alive. The simulation field isn't active."

"I knew you wouldn't" John replied, then went straight to the point. "I've come to see if you are willing to learn more about the force."

"After I beat you and Dracina in a lightsaber battle?" Lokaryo replied. "I don't think I need that much force training anymore."

John felt the blast coming, and created a barrier in front of him that shielded him from the force push that Lokaryo unleashed. It dissipated into the air, yet John remained in his combat stance.

"Maybe about power, you are strong. About subtlety, you have much to learn." He used a tendril of the force to grasp a rock, much like a whip would. With a flick of his mind, the rock was sent hurling towards Lokaryo, who immediately ignited his lightsaber and cut the rock cleanly in two, sending a piece wither side of him.

"If you had been trying to remain secret, you would have failed if you had done that."

"If I had been trying to remain secret, I would have found another way."

"Then demonstrate" John replied simply, and so the training began.

***

It was not long until the room was a whirlwind of objects. Amidst them stood John and Lokaryo, standing perfectly still with heads bowed and eyes closed. Every now and again, one of the objects flying around them would break from its path and hurtle towards one of them, and would either be deflected by the force, smashed into by other pieces, dodged or sliced by a lightsaber.

At the beginning, Lokaryo had been forced to use his lightsaber or his dodging abilities the most, yet as time progressed John had given him short hints about what to do and how to execute certain moves in the force. Using these, Lokaryo had managed to deflect the projectiles more often, and use his lightsabers less.

He had also managed to force John to rely on using his own weapons as well.

Lokaryo created a minor barrier with the force to make a boulder spin away harmlessly, and then reached out and brought two at John from different directions. John angled one away, making it smash into the other, avoiding any hits. This continued for a good standard hour, until both figures were drenched in sweat.

Finally, the storm slowly ended. Projectiles dropped to the ground with various thuds, and those that were still airborne began to circle around slower and slower until they too came to rest.

The room was now a mess of random objects, just like before, but in the newly silent atmosphere the only sound that could be heard was the two figures panting, breathing hard as they tried to regain their strength.

John looked up and opened his eyes. Lokaryo was already looking at him; his tongue hanging slightly out of his muzzle, which itself was pulled into a cocky grin. His red eyes were covered slightly by his blue fur, now socked from his sweat and matted to his body.

John smiled back, and climbed over the rubble towards him. Lokaryo did the same, being careful not to trip over any of the larger pieces.

They met in the centre, where there was less rubble than the surrounding area. John extended his hand, clammy with perspiration, and gripped Lokaryo's furred paw. They shook briefly.

"I think that's enough training for one day." John spoke his mind. Lokaryo kept grinning.

"I shall look forward to the next session, Master" Lokaryo replied, bowing slightly. John smiled, and together they left for the turbolift.

***

John watched as Lokaryo walked out of the turbolift. Lokaryo's fur was still wet from the exertion of using the force, and his ears were laid back. John raised his hand, which was also shiny and sticky from his own perspiration. In fact, his entire body was the same.

He followed Lokaryo out of the turbolift, which immediately sped on along its path behind him. They were on an open path, bordered by metal railing to keep anyone from falling off. This was the path to the living quarters. Around them was a large mass of the white girders seen earlier, but it wasn't near the outside. This was purely architectural, to represent the vastness and openness of the planet.

The walkway split after a few metres. Lokaryo took the right hand fork, yet John walked left. They stopped at the split.

"I'll see you next cycle then?" John asked.

"Sure" Replied Lokaryo. "And this time, I'll be better."

"We'll see about that" John smiled. Lokaryo gave a slight wink, and then turned. John did likewise, and carried on down the walkway.


End file.
